Landowners and householders asked to tidy up near roads ahead of winter
As the weather turns colder, Essex County Council is asking landowners and householders with a garden or land bordering the road to clear ditches and cut back overhanging trees and hedges.
Cllr Ian Grundy, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said:
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Ditches are the responsibility of landowners, even if they are next to the road. Blocked ditches cause flooding which in winter can turn into highly dangerous ice on the road so please do clear them now to avoid putting driver and pedestrians in unnecessary danger.
During Storm Aileen earlier this month, highways crews were contacted about 21 separate incidents where trees blocked roads in Essex.
Cllr Grundy added:
Landowners also have responsibility for any trees near the road. These should be regularly checked and cut to prevent large branches or the whole tree blowing down and blocking the road. People walking along the pavement or verge shouldn’t have to avoid overgrown trees or hedges.
I’m sure everyone will want to act responsibly and take care of their own boundaries, to keep all of us safer this winter.
Enforcement & Guidance
The Council has the power to issue enforcement notices to landowners with blocked ditches which flood the highway or with branches and vegetation found to be obstructing the highway, compelling the owner to carry out any necessary work.
Pavements should be entirely free of plant growth up to a height of 8ft (2.5m).
The road should be clear:
to a height of 17ft (5.1m), and
1.8ft (0.5m) from the edge of the road towards your land.
The Council recommends the use of fully qualified and insured contractors to undertake any necessary work.
You can report highway flooding problems directly to Essex County Council via its website or by calling 0345 6037 631. Visit www.essex.gov.uk/highways to report highway flooding online.
To find out more about flooding prevention in Essex please visit www.essex.gov.uk/flooding or watch their short video below:
Creating a bow wave like this could damage your vehicle and be inconsiderate of other road users
Floods are not fun if you get it wrong
In light of recent torrential downpours and localised flooding, Essex Police has the following advice/cautions to offer:
Floods & Standing Water
Only drive through water if you know that it’s not too deep, i.e. no deeper than 25cm (10 inches).
Drive slowly and steadily to avoid creating a bow wave.
Allow oncoming traffic to pass first and test your brakes as soon as you can after leaving the water.
Don’t driving through fast-moving water, such as at a flooded bridge approach – your car could easily be swept away.
Watch out for standing water, trying to avoid it if you can, and adjust your speed to the conditions.
Driving fast through standing water is dangerous; tyres lose contact with the road and you lose steering control in what’s known as ‘aquaplaning’. If you do experience aquaplaning, hold the steering wheel lightly and lift off the throttle until the tyres regain grip.
Driving fast through standing water is inconsiderate. Driving through water at speeds above a slow crawl can result in water being thrown on to pavements, soaking pedestrians or cyclists. You could face a fine if caught driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.
Driving fast through standing water can cause expensive damage. The air intake on many cars is low down at the front of the engine bay and it only takes a small quantity of water sucked into the engine to cause serious damage.
As you drive slowly through standing water, use a low gear so the engine revs are higher; water in the exhaust could otherwise damage the catalytic convertor.
